The Lost House

by Richard Harding Davis

It was a dull day at the chancellery. His Excellency the American Ambassador was absent in Scotland, unveiling a bust to Bobby Burns, paid for by the numerous lovers of that poet in Pittsburg; the First Secretary was absent at Aldershot, observing a sham battle; the Military Attache was absent at the Crystal Palace, watching a foot-ball match.

Genres: Short Stories, Mystery

55 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1900

About the author

Richard Harding Davis (1864–1916) was a journalist and writer of fiction and drama, known foremost as the first American war correspondent to cover the Spanish-American War, the Second Boer War, and the First World War. His writing greatly assisted the political career of Theodore Roosevelt and he also played a major role in the evolution of the American magazine. His influence extended to the world of fashion and he is credited with making the clean-shaven look popular among men at the turn of the 20th century.

Reviews

[Yibbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was a fine melodramatic little adventure complete with a kidnapped maiden, mad doctors, instant love, a daring rescue, and an odd mob scene. It’s a Victorian dime-novel sort of story.
It’s not quite long enough to be really suspenseful, or short enough to be really fast paced. It’s rather on odd length. From the pace of the first few chapters, I was ready for a mystery with lots of twists and surprises, but in the following chapters, there aren’t really any surprises. The ending was a bit over the top. (There's a pun there, but you will have to read the book to figure it out.) It was just a fun romance with a lot of adventure on the side.
There were one or two 'mild' curse words or substitutes.

Update, I just found out that the final scene was loosely based on an actual police raid on an Anarchist group in London in 1910. It was called the Sidney Streed Seige and involved 200+ police and military men. Even Winston Churchhill, then the home secretary came and watched.

[Tgordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining quick short book. This was a good read. It was sorta predictable but I still enjoyed the fast pace.

[Lynette Caulkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a great little read. Davis was published in 19o0, but listening to this audiobook was rather like watching a modern police show episode that's produced from the victims' view. Good action that felt contemporary, lacking only cell phones, really. Fun bit of swashbuckler romance in it for a bonus.

The free audiobook at LibriVox is read in excellent English by a German reader. Her cadence/inflection will sound rather like a newsroom ticker tape reading to the American ear, but if you stick with it, your ear gets used to the tone quite soon enough, and then it actually fits the story perfectly for the later portions.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. An adventure that holds up well despite the age of the book. Certainly not heavy reading, but nonetheless a riveting story of old London before they eradicated the Fog it was so well known for. It twists and turns and delivers every step of the way. I was introduced to Richard Harding Davis Through a colleague. I see the similarity to Hemingway and I have heard they were friends as well as contemporaries.

[Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started listening to this book because it was short only 2.5 hours. I wanted something to listen to while I was walking or just driving around town. So maybe 15-20 minutes snippets when I remembered. It starts off nicely but parts of the end are strange or maybe just to quick. Not a bad short listen for a free audio book.

[Lora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short. Kind of lame. An odd little story that almost but didn't quite waste my time. Came close, however.

[Mark Rabideau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a most entertaining & action packed novella. It offers a pretty amazing amount of excitement, adventure, and romance.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had some difficulty understanding the reader. I listened to it again & understood it better. It is a good story.